WILL or SHALL 2

My Courses The English Hub WILL or SHALL 2

Welcome to your WILL / SHALL 2 lesson! In this topic we talk about:

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More about WILL

As previously discussed, we do not use WILL to talk about something that has already been arranged or decided:

We‘re having a party tonight.
(not “We ~~will have~~ party tonight.”)

WILL is often used for the future when we are discussing something that is uncertain:

You‘ll pass your driving test, I’m sure of it.

In this case, the subject YOU hasn’t decided to pass the driving test, the speaker is simply giving his prediction. Here are some more examples:

When you come to my place tomorrow, we‘ll have a great time.

Don’t go near that dog! It‘ll bite you.

When will you make your famous English breakfast again?

Words often used with WILL

Wonder:

I wonder what will happen.

Expect:

She hasn’t heard from her parents in ages. I expect they’ll call soon.

Sure:

I’m sure you’ll pass your driving test.

Probably:

I’ll probably be working late tonight.

Think:

I think I’ll have a beer.

WILL with the present

Strangely enough, WILL can be used to talk about the present in certain situations. In this example, the speaker is predicting what is happening now using WILL.

Don’t bother texting James now, he‘ll be busy.
(He will be busy now)

This situation is very rare, however.

Other uses of SHALL

SHALL is normally only used with the subjects I and WE. With positive sentences, SHALL can be replaced by WILL:

I shall be late for lunch.
(or “I will be late for lunch.”)

We shall probably have a holiday in June.
(or “We will probably have a holiday in June.”)

In spoken English, however, we use WILL.

The negative of SHALL is SHALL NOT or SHAN’T:

I shan’t be busy tomorrow, we could go out.
(or “I won’t be busy…”)

SHAN’T can only be used with I and WE, not with other subjects. (HE, SHE, IT, THEY, YOU)

Recap

We do not use WILL to talk about something that has already been arranged or decided.
WILL can be used to talk about the present in very rare situations.
With positive sentences, SHALL can be replaced by WILL.
SHAN’T can only be used with I and WE.